Monument Editorial

Our national monuments, the Washington Monument included, collectively symbolize the achievements of a great nation, its outstanding leaders, and its bravest citizens.

Contrary to your view that the pyrotechnic display somehow compromised the dignity of the Washington Monument, I feel that we fittingly bestowed even more grandeur to it by including it in the elaborate and spectacular display that many Americans witnessed in the first moments of the new millennium.

Inclusion of our national treasures, icons, and monuments in times of celebration enhances the spirit of patriotism that sometimes has proven so elusive in the last quarter century.

As the last hours of the 20th century passed by on my television screen, I watched across the world as many different peoples celebrated their pasts. They fixed their eyes upon treasures such as the Kremlin, the Blue Mosque, the Eiffel Tower, and Big Ben.

All of these people, however, were looking in the same direction. Toward the future. I can't think of a more fitting national treasure than the Washington Monument to fix our gaze upon in wonder and awe as we look toward the future.